Junior doctors in England have gone on strike for the first day in a three-day walkout. A dispute over pay and conditions has seen more than 36,000 junior doctors across the country take strike action.
The strike comes two days before more trade unions stage industrial action. Teachers, civil servants, London Underground drivers and others will walk out on Wednesday (March 15), the day Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to deliver his Spring Budget in the House of Commons.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says that years of below-inflation pay rises have amounted to a big real-terms cut since 2009. The government has so far refused to negotiate further on pay, but is under growing pressure to reconsider its stance.
READ MORE: Live junior doctor strike updates as workers picket at Nottingham hospitals
When are junior doctors on strike?
Junior doctors in England will stage three days of strike action, from Monday, March 13 to Wednesday, March 15 inclusive. The strike marks the longest-ever period of industrial action staged by junior doctors.
Why are junior doctors on strike?
Junior doctors have taken strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions. The BMA says that years of below-inflation pay increases since 2008-9 have resulted in a real-terms pay cut of 26% for junior doctors.
It is calling on the government to make good this shortfall with a 35% pay rise for 2022-3. This covers both the pay lost since 2008-9 and the current rate of inflation, which is running at around 10% at present.
The BMA says that inadequate pay is a major contributor to the NHS’s well-publicised difficulties in recruiting and retaining frontline medical staff. A BMA poll of 3,000 junior doctors last year found that 60% reported low morale and 51% said that had only a low desire to keep working in the NHS.
How much are junior doctors paid?
Junior doctors working under the 2016 contract are paid a salary of between £29,384 and £58,398 a year depending on their seniority within the profession. The BMA points out that some junior doctors receive a lower hourly rate than Pret baristas are set to get from April.
The sandwich shop chain announced earlier this month that it was set to give its staff their third pay rise in 12 months. Baristas working at Pret will be able to get up to £11.80 to £14.10 an hour from April, depending on their experience and location.
However, the BMA points out that for junior doctors in their first year of work-based training, the hourly rate of pay can be as low as £14.09 per hour. The union is demanding that junior doctors be “paid what they are worth” by the government.
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